Stud-and-socket fastener.



F. S. CARR.

STUD AND SOCKET FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-18,1915.

Patented May 23, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

FRED S. CARR, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CARR. FASTENER COM- PANY, F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

Application filed August 18, 1915. Serial No. 46,069. H E E B To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED S.GARR, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Studand-Socket Fasteners, of which the followis a specification.

his invention relates to a stud and socket fastener comprising, first, a cylindrical stud member having an attaching base and an annular snoulder surrounding the axis of the stud member and facing inwardly toward the base, and, secondly, a socket member composed of a casing inclosing a jawreceiving space and having openings for the entrance of the stud member into said space, and resilient jaws confined in said space and formed ,to engage said annular shoulder and cooperate therewith in resisting separation of the members by a direct outward pull on the socket member. b

A fastener of the' type to viihichimy vention relates is disclosed by Letters Pet ent of the United States; Number 1,038,288, said patented fastener having jaws formed to engage the annular stud shoulder in such manner that separation of the members by a direct outward pull on the socket member is prevented or strongly resisted, and is freely permitted by a tipping movement of the socket member in one direction only, the' shoulder and jaws resisting tipping movements of the socket member in other directions.

The present invention relates articularly to the construction of the soc et member and jaws, and adapted to relievethe jaws of a part of the duty heretofore imposed on them in opposing. said tipping movements.

The invention is also embodied in means for preventing excessive wearof parts of the fastener which rub and rattle in contact -.with each other when in use, and in means for facilitating the opening and closing movement of the resilient jaws.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 represents a front view of the socket member of a stud and socket fastener embodying my invention; Fig. 2 represents a back view of the same; Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Fig.2, the back plate being separated from the body of the socket member and the carrying part shown by dotted lines; Fig. 4 represents a sectional view of the socket member llth all its parts assembled and a side view of a stud member engaged therewith; Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the direction of the free tipping movement of the socket member; Fig. 6 represents a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the resistance to a tipping movement of the socket member in a different direction; Fig. 5 represents a front view of the fastener with the socket and stud'members in the relative positions shown by Fig. 5; Fig. 6 represents a front view of the fastener with the socket and stud members in the relative positions shown by Fig. 6; Fig. 7 represents a perspective view of a portion of the socket member, and a portion of the stud member; Figs. 8 and 8. represent enlargements of portions of Fig. 4; Fig. 8" represents a view similar to Figs. 8 and 8,

. stud member has a screw-threaded shank 13 adapted to engage a rigid frame member. The stud member may however be provided with means for attachment to a flexible car- 1yl111 member of sheet material. The socket mem er is composed of a jaw holding casing composed of assembled plates 15, 16 and 20, the outer plate 15 having a marginal flange 15 on which are formed short cars 17 inll d i Sl ts in the intermediate plate 16 and bent over the back of said plate 16 and holding it against the flange 15, the plates 15 and 16 being spaced apart and forming the sides of the jaw receiving space. The said flange is provided with longer ears or prongs 18 adapted to penetrate a curtain 19, or other carrying part of flexible sheet material, and enter slots in the plate 20, be-

tween which and the plate 16 the curtain is interposed. An opening 22 is formed in the late 15 to receive the head of the stud memer 12, said opening closely fitting the stud head and serving to center the same relatively to the casing and its jaws.

21, 21 represent resilient wire jaws WhlCll are the end portions of a piece or length of wire preferably bent as shown by Fig. 1 to form said jaws and a loop 21 connecting the same, the said jaws and loop being interposed between the plates 15 and 16. The jaws are adapted to spring into engagement with the stud shoulder 14. The jaws as here shown are straight and substantially parallel with each other, although they may be provided with segmental portions bearing on an extended portion of said shoulder at one side of the stud, as shown by the drawin of the above mentioned patent.

The jaws cooperate with the stud shoulder in preventing or strongly resisting separation of the members by a direct outward pull on the socket member, and are freely separable from the stud shoulder only by a tipping movement of the socket member relatively to the stud member, this movement causing a portion of the shoulder to act as a wedge and separate the jaws. To cause this wedging action of the shoulder, the socket member and jaws must be considerably inclined relatively to the axis'i o-f. the stud member, as shown by Fig. 5, this inclination causing the stud shoulder to enter the space between the jaws and outwardly displace or separate the-jaws, as shown by Fig. 5 I have found that by forming the casing of the socket member sci-that its back portion will coiiperate with the stud member in permitting the longitudinal tipping of the socket member to the position shown by Fig.

5, and in reventing an opposite inclination of the soc et member, such as would be produced by tipping it in the direction of the arrow 2 (Fig. 6), the inner portion or body of the stud member-is enabledto perform a considerable part of the duty of preventing all tippin movements excepting the" predetermlne one, the jaws and the plates between which they are confinedbeing relieved of a corresponding part of this duty, so'that strain on said jaws and plates is reduced to the minimum and the jaws when made straight, as here shown, instead ofhaving segmental portions as before, performtheir function e ectively. The diameter of the opening 22 in the front plate 15 is but little larger than that of the stud head, the latter fitting closely in said opening.

To enable the socket member casing to cooperate as above stated, with the stud member, I provide the socket casing plates 16 and 20 with stud-receiving openings 16 and 20.

The lower margins of these openings are substantially in alinement with. the lower margin of the opening 22 in the front plate. The openings 16 and 20 are elongated however, each being ellipticalso that their upper margins are h1gher than the upper margin of the opening 22. The lower margins of the openings 16 and 20 bear on the lower side of the stud body when the members are operatively connected, and prevent a sufiicient tipping of the socket member in the direction of arrow 2 (Fig. 6) to cause the stud shoulder to wedge the jaws apart. The upper margins of said openings'are separated from the upper side of the stud body when the members'are operatively connected,

and permit the tipping of the socket member to the position shown by Fig. 5, and the outward displacement of the jaws by the stud shoulder shown by Fig. 6. The width of the elliptical openings 16, 20 is preferably such that the margins of these openings contact with the stud member at diametrically opposite sides of the latter, as indicated by Fig. 7, and cotiperate with said member in preventing crosswise tipping movements of the socket member in the directions indicated by the arrows m, m. It will now be seen that the casing and the inner portion of the stud member coeperate in opposing any tipping movement of the socket member which is not desired, and relieve the stud shoulder and the jaws from a part of the duty of opposing said tipping movements, the elongation of the openings 16 and 20 permitting the predetermined tipping movement which causes the displacement of the jaws. The circular form of the stud member enables it to be arbitrarily applied to its support, or in other words, without causing a given side of the stud to face in a given direction, as explained in the above mentioned patent.

The socket member may be so attached to its support that the edge portion of the casing which is free to tip outwardly'in the direction of arrow y may be located above, below, or at either side of the stud-receiving opening. To identify the said portion of the casing so that the operator ma readily determine where to apply the tlpping or lifting pressure, I provide the casing with identifying means, preferably by forming a circular inwardly projecting boss or depression 30 in its outer face, as shown by Figs. 1 and 3. The location of said depression relatively to the jaws confined in the casing is such that the edge portion of the casing nearest the depression is the portlon to plied in the direction of arrow which tipping or lifting force must be apto effect the separation of the members. or reduce wear of the surface of the stud member by the contact of the lower margin of the opening 16 with said surface, Iprovide the plate 16 with a lip or flange 31 which provides a stud seat or bearing of SllfllClGIlt area to mlIllmlZe such wear.

The piece of wire which includes the jaws 21 is cut from a supply of wire of indeterminate length, by cutters constituting parts of a machine for forming the jaws 21 and loop 21. Said cutters usually leave burs 32 (Figs. 8 and 8 onthe ends of the wire piece, and said bursare liable to project toward the plate 15 or the plate 16, or toward both plates, and bear on the inner surface of said plate or plates, and resist the opening and closing movements of the jaws so that an undesirable degree of force is often required in connecting and separating the members of the fastener. To obviate this objection I provide the inner surfaces of the plates 15 and 16 with shallow depressions 33 arranged to receive said burs and prevent them from contactin with the plates. Fig. 8 shows as a modi cation an equivalent means for preventing contact be tween the burred outer ends of the aws and the jaw confining surfaces of the casing, said means being embodied in inwardly projecting beads. or ribs 33* presenting smooth surfaced guidesxfor portions of the jaws below the burs. y

In a carriage or automobile curtain" fastener the chief tipping strain .to be resisted by the fastener is that in the directionof arrow .2 (Fig. 6), and no provision is absolutely necessary to resist strains tending to tip the socket and jaws laterally in the directions indicated by arrows as, m (Fig. 7). I do not limit myself therefore to the illustrated form of the openings 16 and 20,

confined between said outer and intermediate plates and cooperatlng with sald shoulder in opposing a direct outward movement of the casing relatively to the stud, said jaws being displaceable to release said shoulder by a tipping movement of the casing and aws relatively to the stud, said back plate .being spaced from the ja s and provided 0 prevent shoulder in opposing including an outer plate having a centering opening fitting the stud, an intermediate plate, and a back plate, and resilientv jaws confined between said outer and intermediate plates and cooperating with said shoulder in opposing a direct outward movement of the casing relatively to the stud, said jaws being displaceable to release said shoulder by a tipping movement of the casing and jaws relatively to the stud, said back plate being spaced from the jaws and provided with an elongated opening formed to cooperate with the inner portion of the stud in opposing a transverse tipping movement of the socket and jaws in either direction and a longitudinal tipping movement in one direction, and in permitting a longitudinal tipping movement of the socket and jaws in a different direction.

3. A stud and socket fastener comprising a stud member having an annular inwardly facing shoulder at its outer end portion, and a socket member composed of a casing including an outer plate, an intermediate plate, and a back plate, and resilient jaws confined between said outer and intermediate plates and cooperating with said a direct outward movementof the casing relatively to the stud, said jawsfbeing displaceable to release said shoulder by a tipping movement of the casing and jaws relatively to the. stud, said front plate being provided withf'a centering openingfitting the stud, andthe intermediate and back plates being provided with elongated openings formedto cooperate with the inner portion of'the' stud in opposing a tipping movement ofthe socket and jaws in one or more directions, and inormitting such tipping movement in a di erent directio v I 4. A stud and socket fastener comprising a stud member'havingan inwardly facing jaw-engaging shoulder, and a'socket member including an outer plate, angintermediate .plate'and a back plate'havin openings to receive the stud member, an resilient jaws confined between the-front and intermediateplates, one of the two last mentioned plates being provided a flange constituting a relatively wide wear-reducing seat for the stud-between said plates.

5. stud. and: socket fastener comprising astud member havingan inwardly facing jaw-engaging shoulder, and a socket mem- 0 openmeans for preventing contact between the burred outer ends of said jaws and the surfaces of said plates.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my 16 signature. 7

,FRED S. CARR. 

